Product Description
This Maestro Elite violin was made in the Gliga workshop in Reghin, Romania. It has a one-piece back of bird's eye maple, with ribs, neck and scroll cut from the same figured wood, and a top of Carpathian resonance spruce. There is only one D1802V, and it is in our West Vancouver shop, where you are welcome to come and play it.
Hear this exact violin
Vancouver-based Romanian-Canadian violinist and teacher Cristian Herki plays Petite Fleur by Sidney Bechet on this violin. Cristian is currently accepting new violin students – contact our store to book lessons with him.
Violin: Cristian Herki · Backing track: Tomplay
| Code | D1802V |
| Size | 4/4 |
| Level | Vasile Gliga Maestro Elite |
| Pattern | Stradivari |
| Top | Solid Carpathian resonance spruce |
| Back | Solid bird's eye maple, one piece |
| Ribs, neck, scroll | Solid bird's eye maple |
| Purfling | Ebony and maple, inlaid by hand |
| Fittings | Ebony pegs, tailpiece and chinrest with floral decoration |
| Finish | Oil varnish |
| Strings | Pirastro Evah Pirazzi Gold |
What bird's eye maple is
Bird's eye (also written birdseye) is a figure in the grain of maple, not a separate species. It shows as small, round, swirling marks scattered through the wood, which is where the name comes from. What causes it is still not known. Boards with dense, even eyes are uncommon, and a board wide enough to make a violin back in a single piece, with no centre joint, is less common still.
On a finished violin the figure changes with the light. As you turn the instrument, the eyes catch the light and lose it again, so the back seems to move under the varnish.
Does bird's eye maple sound different?
Not because of the figure itself. A violin's tone depends on the density and stiffness of its wood, on how the top and back are arched and graduated, and on the setup – the same things that matter for any maple back. Bird's eye is harder to work: the eyes can tear out under the gouge and plane, so carving a back like this cleanly takes an experienced maker.
Workmanship and setup
- Back, ribs, neck and scroll matched from the same bird's eye maple
- Ebony and maple purfling, inlaid by hand
- Pegs, tailpiece and chinrest are made of premium ebony
- Oil varnish
- Made in Reghin, then set up in Vancouver by our luthier
Every Gliga Maestro instrument comes with a certificate of authenticity confirming that it meets the design, construction, finishing and setup standards of the Maestro level. The label inside the violin and the certificate are both signed by Vasile Gliga.
Woods used in this violin
- Carpathian resonance spruce (Picea abies) – top plate, bass bar, blocks, linings and sound post
- Bird's eye maple – back, ribs, neck, scroll and pegbox
- Maple – bridge
- Ebony (Diospyros sp.) – fingerboard, pegs, top nut, saddle, chinrest, tailpiece and end pin
Trying and buying
You can try this violin in our shop at 18-636 Clyde Ave., West Vancouver – call 778-280-8035 to book a time. If you order online, it ships within 24 hours (orders placed Friday to Sunday ship the following Monday), and you have a 7-day trial from the day of delivery.
Cases and bows are sold separately: see our 4/4 violin cases and 4/4 violin bows. Everything ships together in one package.
Every Maestro Elite instrument is one of a kind. To see what else is available, browse all 4/4 Vasile Gliga Maestro Elite violins.
